Monday, 30 November 2015

Get free access to quality Maths Grade 10-12 learning content 24/7 on any device. Register at https://math.microsoft.com. This service known as Microsoft Math has been in South Africa since 2008. It was formerly known as Nokia Math.

Microsoft Math makes the learning experience personal, engaging and exciting. Students can do math exercises, read theory, learn from examples, and take tests.

Microsoft Math adds a social dimension to education, making it possible to collaborate and compete with other students. Teachers can use Microsoft Math to motivate, monitor, and track learning and skill levels, giving more specific and individual feedback to students. It's a great tool for enriching the learning experience, engaging students even after school hours and outside classrooms. Available offline on a Windows phone
Also available as a Windows Phone application, which makes the service content accessible offline allowing students to continue practicing even without internet connection!

Important aspects
Here are some of the important aspects:

This is a free, online, high school learning support service

It provides thousands of Maths exercises including examples of how to solve them.

The African Storybook Project is a wonderful Literacy website with a wide range of stories from Grades 1-3 learners in a multitude of African languages. Visit www.africanstorybook.org to see the amazing spread. The stories and folktales have beautiful illustrations, can be read online or they can be downloaded as PDFs and made into hand-held books. Best is that the African Storybook Project is OER and uses Creative Commons licensing which enables the books to be adapted if so desired.
In their latest newsflash the African Storybook Project highlights some of their most translated folktales. Folktales are one of the oldest genres of stories, and they usually have an important life lesson to teach us.

Thursday, 26 November 2015

SchoolNet South Africa has had the privilege to be funded by the D G Murray Trust in South Africa to study the benefits of learning through the use of play and innovative technologies for learners in grades R and 1 in ten schools in two provinces in South Africa, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The Change Leadership workshop for the final module in KZN was facilitated on 22nd and 30th of October 2015 to eight (9) School Management Teams from four KZN schools. This is a longer module compared to the other six and therefore was conducted over two afternoons.

Before the facilitation, one of the principals Ms Thembi Mbanjwa from Qhamukile Primary School was awarded with a Microsoft Surface tablet for commitment and outstanding support she gives to her project teachers. She was the the 3rd principal in the KZN province to receive an award.
The module began by differentiating between assessment and evaluation. In their assigned groups participants brainstormed reasons for evaluating. Participants came with lots of reasons which indicated that it was something they were familiar with.

One of this module’s objectives was to enable participants to establish what evidence is required to collect in order to know how the school is progressing with technology integration and what improvement should be made.

Activity One:
The first activity looked at the reasons why one should evaluate learning with technology? Below are three questions unpacked and discussed:
1. Is the teacher using technology to do old activities in old ways?
2. Is technology providing opportunities for the teacher to do old activities in new ways?
3. Is technology creating new and different learning experiences for the learners (new activities in new ways)?

Initially participants had difficulties in conceptualizing the above questions until additional classroom examples were shared with them – they were then asked to provide their own examples in order to gauge their full understanding. At the end of this exercise they felt that this module was a real eye-opener and in fact it would have been really worthwhile to share this information with project teachers too as it was relevant for them to understand their current status in their use of the technologies.
According to their schools, participants discussed to what extent they would like to see teaching and learning with technology represented using the three questions outlined above. That led to a next activity where they designed target plans for technology use – they were asked to be realistic about their projections as they will use the information to reflect on their progress next year.

Activity two – School-based self-evaluation:
A brief description of what a school-based self-evaluation is and what it is not was shared with the participants. That was followed by a group activity where they completed a table which helped them to establish the following:
1. Reasons for self-evaluation (participants were encouraged to run workshops for their staff to discuss this)
2. What will be evaluated?
3. When will evaluation be done?
4. How and which tools to be used to gather data for the purpose of self-evaluation (they were encouraged to add more tools than the ones provided in their manuals)

Lastly, participants had to define what to observe (indicators) as evidence when gathering data for self-evaluation. There was confusion in differentiating targets and performance indicators which was then clarified by the use of examples.

Participants worked in their school groups to write performance indicators for the given outcomes in a table. By this time participants were exhausted but excited by the new information gained. They expressed how the module had opened their eyes in dealing with evaluation which is commonly a critical issue faced in most schools.

One of the participants suggested that even though it was their last module, they would appreciate SchoolNet organising face to face sharing meetings as they feel invigorated and inspired to implement new change leadership methodologies.

Expectations and instructions with regard to badge submission was discussed in detail. It was also emphasized that Certificates of Completion will only be awarded to those who have attended all or almost all modules and submitted all badges. Dates for showcasing will be communicated with the principals before the end of the year but will take place next year in January 2016.

SchoolNet SA would like to congratulate the South African and Lesotho Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts who have been selected to be part of this programme for 2015-2016. This year we have a total of 61 MIEs – 46 new MIEs as well as 15 MIEs who were selected in 2014 who have opted to remain in the programme.

During the course of the year, all Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts will have an opportunity to:· test new Microsoft products whilst they are in beta form;· participate in exclusive professional development opportunities· and participate in focus groups to give feedback to development teams at Microsoft.

Most exciting of all is that SOME of the South African and Lesotho MIEs will be selected to be amongst 300 MIEs from around the world who will attend the Microsoft in Educator Exchange Event (E²), in Budapest, Hungary in March 2016.

To read more about the Microsoft Innovative Educators, please visit this link

Details of the 2016 MIE Expert Educators
Listed below are the new MIEs for 2015-2016. Congratulations to the following teachers:

First Name

Last Name

School

Adam

Mojapelo

Zoetfontein Secondary

Andrea

Mitas

Brescia House School

Andries

Bogatsu

George Madoda Primary School

Ashley

Roberts

Brescia House School

Bruce

Eyles

St David's Marist Inanda

Burgert

Maree

Bishops (Diocesan College)

Catherine

Mullen

Brescia House School

Charli

Wiggill

Eden College, Durban

Charmaine

Caine

Brescia House School

Cheryl

Douglas

Bishops, Diocesan College

Chipa

Maimela

University of Witwatersrand

Christopher

Filander

International School of SA

Dimakatso

Sefora

Lefaragatlhe Primary School

Gerard

Noel

Bishops (Diocesan) College

Graham

West

Brescia House School

Jeneanne

Hultzer

Brescia House School

Jonas

Letsoalo

Kgetsa

Karen

Hobson

St Andrews Preparatory

Kathleen

Raeburn

Brescia House School

Keshma

Patel

Micklefield

Hawa

Patel

Roshnee Islamic SChool

Kessaiah

Mathe-mohlala

Ekwaluseni Catholic Intermediate

Kevin

Smart

Brescia House School

Kim

Duncan

Brescia House School

Kirsten

Cartlidge

Brescia House School

Kumaris

Pillay

Crawford College

Lauren

Julius

Education in the Move

Lewis

Nyanhi

Umtata High School

Lilian

Ofori Asaare

Phethahatso EM Community

Mandisi

Vili

Zwelibangile JSS

Moses

Sehoole

Mankuroane High

Mpho

Phakisi

Phethahatso EM Community

Neliswa Ester

Zini

Shiloh Junior & Senior Primary

Nokuzola

Fini

Zwelibangile JSS

Nomawabo

Lobete

New Hope combined

Nosithembele

Gcobo

Sentile J S S

Noxolo

Buyeye

Solomon Qatyana Primary

Peter

de Lisle

Hilton College

Peter

Lekolwane

Diopong Primary School

Prinavin

Govender

Durban Univeristy of Technology

Shannon

Stride

Brescia House School

Shelley

Hill

Brescia House School

Susan

Chalom

Brescia House School

Talent

Mabiya

Letare Secondary School

Thejane

Malakane

Toloane Primary School

Wessel

Theron

Bishops Diocesan College

We also welcome back the following MIEs who have elected to remain in the programme for another year:

Wednesday, 25 November 2015

Submitted by Hlengiwe Mfeka
Despite the afternoon heat, teachers came in prepared with their hats on and comfortable shoes to attend the scavenger hunt (Module 8 in our training). Out of 21 teachers, 15 attended – from four schools excluding Cedara. The workshop was conducted at Thembelihle Primary in Howick.

Module 8 is the scavenger hunt teaching strategy that allows learners to go out of class to have real experience that is related to any subject content area. The template provided for the teachers helps as a basis to design other possible field trip ideas that can be adapted for classroom work. This is a highly effective method of enhancing learning in a good number of subjects.

At the beginning, teachers were to find their group members using a QR code reader. This was a novelty for the teachers. This activity helped them to get acquainted with the use of the Quick Mark App as they scanned each other’s QR codes given to individuals at the start of the session. It was interesting to observe the collaboration in trying to find out where each individual belonged. There were four groups consisting of three to four members. The tempo picked up when it was time to move out and search for different QR codes and activities. All the group members dashed out and could be seen doing all it takes to earn their points – they had lots of fun.

After the full 60 minutes had elapsed, three groups were found seated inside the classroom and in one minute one group which consisted of a little older ladies came in running. They didn’t want to take a chance to have their points deducted due to lateness.

The score sheet was exchanged by the groups. Discussion time kicked in with all group members ready to defend their completed tasks. The incorporation of peer assessment in the scavenger hunt was a huge strength – it enhanced communication tremendously.

Educational issues that were integral to this teaching strategy were raised and a discussion ensued around ideas and how this strategy can be applied in class, especially with young learners. Teachers were asked to provide practical lesson examples of how they could adapt the strategy within their subjects. At the end scores were announced with position one and two receiving prizes as seen in the picture below.

Overall the session was a great success and very much appreciated by teachers, it actually captured their interest throughout. Educators admitted that if well planned, the scavenger hunt teaching strategy can be implemented and yield far improved results on the learning outcomes.

They had gained first-hand experience about how their teaching strategy could broaden their learners’ awareness of their surroundings or environment, while deepening their knowledge in a particular learning area. SchoolNet will be monitoring to see how this strategy is applied in schools when we all know it will receive even higher popularity from learners.

Tuesday, 24 November 2015

In its 14th year currently, the 2015 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship (MOSWC) attracted 600,000 unique candidates who competed to demonstrate their mastery of Microsoft Office products. 145 student finalists from 47 countries participated in the final round of competition.

“More than 1.2 billion people use Office worldwide, and these students have taken the time to set themselves apart as the best of the best,” said Alison Cunard, general manager of Learning Experiences at Microsoft. “Earning a Microsoft Office Specialist certification has already provided proof that they have the necessary skills to succeed in academics and the workforce. Winning the World Championship puts them in a class of their own, and we look forward to seeing how they put their Microsoft Office skills to use in the future”
So, why not think about entering the 2016 competition next year and visit Disneyland for the world championships. You can read about last year’s winners here:

To compete in the final round of the Championship, students must be between the ages of 13 and 22 (as of 15 June, 2016).

A student may enter in one, two or all three applications from a MOS track [only applicable if the student has not entered before].

NOTE: if a student participated in a prior World Championship competing on Microsoft Excel 2010, he/she can compete in a Microsoft Word or PowerPoint track, but can NOT compete in the Microsoft Excel 2010 or 2013 track in the World Championship.

NetLEARN OFFERS FREE WORKSHOPS TO EXPLAIN AND COACH STUDENTS ON THE ENTIRE PROCESS OF ENTERING AND WHAT TO DO IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE! CONTACT US TO PUT YOUR NAME ON THE LIST FOR 2016.

CONTACT LINDA : linda@netlearn.co.za for more information or any questions regarding participating, certification or training

Monday, 23 November 2015

Submitted by Fiona Beal
Have you heard of Microsoft Snip? Snip is a standalone app that lets you add your voice and doodles to screen grabs. Let me tell you about it and then show you how we use it in the classroom.

More about Snip
Microsoft Snip, available in beta now, allows Windows users to capture screenshots and then annotate on them and record audio over the top. It can turn an ordinary screenshot into a screen tutorial, or you can just share your thoughts about a document or image over the web. Snip has a built-in recording feature that allows you to add voice recordings as you annotate. Recordings are converted into video files that you can share via email, link or get in an embeddable format hosted by Microsoft.

How do I get Snip?
Snip downloads to Windows 7, 8 and 10. Go to https://mix.office.com/Home/SetupSnip and click on download. A window opens and the download begins. Once downloaded install Snip to your computer.

How does Snip work?

1. Once installed it sits in the middle of your screen waiting for an instruction. It is a floating toolbar so you can move it around.

2. Click and drag around a section to capture any window or area of your screen. Let go of the mouse and you’ve got your screengrab.
3. The screen editor opens and gives a large selection of tasks.

4. You can annotate on it or narrate your comments and draw on your snip with digital ink.

How I use Microsoft Snip in the classroom
First of all I downloaded it on to all the school computers. It sits in the middle of the screen waiting for instructions.
a) Sometimes when the students have completed their task for the lesson they use Snip to capture a screenshot of their finished product. Then they annotate on the screenshot to give the context of the Snip.
b) Sometimes, with their screenshots, they record audio over them explaining what they did.
c) Soon we'll be trying using both recording and annotation to make short tutorials.

SchoolNetSA has received an email from a teacher in Canada who is offering a wonderful opportunity to a Grade 6 or 7 teacher and class in SA in digital storytelling as from September 2016 and probably continuing till the same time the following year. Would you be interested? You would need constant access to computers. The teacher would need to be open to using photography and making digital stories with his/her students. Experience with those media forms is not necessary as Hoa Truong-White will travel to the school from Canada to conduct workshops.

The email says:

“Hello,I am a PhD student at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. Previously I taught primary school in Canada. I have received the Canada Scholarship to Honour Nelson Mandela to carry out a project that connects three middle school classrooms in an online collaborative project that involves blogging, photography and digital storytelling. Currently, I have a middle school class in Vietnam and one in Canada that will participate. I am looking for a third class to take part. I'm wondering if you could help to connect me with a grade 6 or 7 class in South Africa?The project will begin in September 2016. It centres around students' identities as global citizens, children's rights to citizenship and the ways they participate as citizens in their communities or globally. I will provide the class with digital cameras for the project and travel to the school to give photography and digital storytelling workshops. I will also set up a secure online classroom platform (similar to the one used by iEarn) where students from the three countries will engage in regular blogging, discussions and sharing of photos and videos).I would like to work with a class that has access to computers and the Internet and students who are learning English. I would also like to interview students about their experiences learning with students from around the world through the Internet. I would come to South Africa for the interviews and to deliver digital storytelling workshops to the class.If you are interested, I will send further details, or perhaps we could Skype. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Friday, 20 November 2015

Submitted by Fiona Beal
I discovered Google Classroom when our school moved over to Google Apps this year. Prior to that I used Edmodo for different projects and I still do because Edmodo is a fully functioning LMS and Google classroom is not…yet. BUT for my day to day teaching Google Classroom is my platform of choice because it makes life just so much easier and integrates well with the rest of the Google Apps that we use.

Once you have joined classroom as a teacher the link appears in your Google Apps console:

Here are five reasons why I have loved using this application this year:

1. Students can join Classroom easily
I have joined five of the classes I teach to Google classroom. It was just so easy. They all have their GAF Gmail addresses so all it involved to join them to Classroom was for them to log in to their Gmail account, and then go to http://classroom.google.com and punch in the class code that I gave them.

2. Students can find their way around easily
When they enter Classroom they’ll find themselves on the main page or home page for Classroom. It contains a stream of posts for the class that you might have added. Newer posts are at the top, with older ones below them.

3.Classroom integrates a calendar
Classroom integrates a calendar which comes into operation as soon as you set an assignment date. If students are in doubt about when an assignment is due they simply go to the About page, click on the calendar and they’ll see what is due.

4. As a teacher you have a few options to use
As the teacher you have several useful options to us”:
a) reuse a previous post and change it a bit
b) create a question that the students can answer
c) create an assignment with the option of a due date or no due date
d) create an announcement

Students can add comments to any of these options.

5. You can easily add documents to your assignment
You can attach files and links to your assignment, in any combination you like. For example you can attach them from Google Drive:

Or you can upload them from your computer:

Another great thing about Google Classroom is that every so often Google adds new functionality. It just gets better and better! If you want your class/classes to function more seamlessly and your school uses Google Apps, you must try using this amazing application, Google Classroom.

Thursday, 19 November 2015

We have been including daily blog posts on the schedule of the Global Education Conference. These can be accessed as follows:
Day 1:here.
Day 2: http://goo.gl/R89Lbz
Day 3: http://goo.gl/4IY2FO
The Global Education Conference Network tells us about the plan for today, Day 4, in an email: “Thursday, November 19th, is the fourth and final day of the sixth annual Global Education Conference! We've had three great days of sessions and keynotes, and the recordings of any sessions that have taken place are accessible on the conference recordings page.”Kim Wilkens ‏@kimxtom 4 hours ago
I joined a conference today during my breaks & connected with folks around the world - you can too! http://www.globaleducationconference.com/ #GlobalEd15
The list of Thursday's sessions, in US-Eastern Standard Time, is below. To see the the full conference schedule in your own time zone, with the direct links to session rooms, go to the conference schedule page. Follow the conference through Twitter using the hashtag #globaled15. Session recordings are posted immediately following each session.
We do still need more volunteers to help moderate sessions! Sign up and information here. It's a ton of fun, you'll be doing some good, and you'll have the undying gratitude of the conference organizers!

12:00am
Global Content, Local Lessons: Discover new strategies for creating interactive blended lessons with content created by teachers around the world through TES and Blendspace. - Erica Magnusson, Content Analyst, TES

3:00am
Shift Thinking of Middle School Students Who Come With Low Expectations About Their Ability to Learn: An introduction to the world at large, to the difficulties and the similarities of young people - Ginger Heller

Wednesday, 18 November 2015

We wrote about the Global Education Conference Day 2 yesterday http://goo.gl/R89Lbz and Day 1 the day before here. The Global Education Conference Network tells us about today, Day 3 in an email: "Wednesday, November 18th, is day three of the sixth annual Global Education Conference. We've had two great days of sessions and keynotes, and the recordings of any sessions that have taken place are accessible on the conference recordings page."Thomas Petra ‏@RealWorldMath 6h6 hours ago
Day 2 of the Global Educ Conference. Lots of good topics It's free, online, and you don't need to travel to attend. #globaled15#edchat
The list of Wednesday's sessions, in US-Eastern Standard Time, is below. To see the the full conference schedule in your own time zone, with the direct links to session rooms, go to the conference schedule page. Follow the conference through Twitter using the hashtag #globaled15. Session recordings are posted immediately following each session.

The Global Education network still needs more volunteers to help moderate sessions! Sign up and information here. It's a ton of fun, you'll be doing some good, and you'll have the undying gratitude of the conference organizers!

WELCOME TO OUR BLOG!

This blog is aimed at South African teachers who are using digital learning for lifelong professional growth. We aim to provide ideas, resources, information and inspiration for integrating technology into your lessons to enhance teaching and learning.

To be part of our community of digital learners, please join our free SchoolNet SA Membership programme at http://www.schoolnet.org.za/. Please also 'like' us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @Schoolnetsa.

Blog posts are created by the SchoolNet SA team - with occasional guest posts from SchoolNet SA members. Please contact info(at)schoolnet.org.za for more information.